It is known to provide local area wireless data communications in a computer network, such as the 2.4 GHz 1/“WiFi” communications set out in the family of standards collectively published as IEEE 802.11. These wireless communications standards have progressively improved from version 11b (10 Mbit/s) through to version 11n (100 Mbit/s), each of which has increased the range and data rate of the wireless local area network. As a result, these wireless communications standards are now ubiquitous for both domestic and commercial uses.
More recently, further developments have introduced a new standard IEEE 802.11ac approved in January 2014 using the 5 GHz band for higher-throughput local areas networks with data rates approaching 1.3 gigabit per second (1.3 Gbit/s) when using a 160 MHz bandwidth channel. However, only two such channels are available within the permitted 5 GHz band.
There is still an increasing need to provide high data rate communications in wireless local area networks and to support a larger number of channels. It is desired to provide multi-gigabit data rates well in excess of 1.3 gigabit per second (e.g. greater than 2 Gbit/s, or greater than 5 Gbit/s).
There is a need to provide a local area wireless communication network which can simultaneously support many tens or hundreds of client terminals, and which can deliver the desired high data rate to each such client terminal device.
There is a further need to provide a communication network operable in a dense modular environment, such as an office block or a ship or other vessel, having many users in close proximity to each other. Typically, this dense modular environment comprises many separate rooms, cells or compartments.
In many cases, there is a further need to increase security of the data communication network, particularly in relation to the wireless communications. In particular, it is desired to reduce opportunities for eavesdropping or other unauthorised access to the wireless communications.
The example embodiments address at least some of these problems and/or may address other problems in the art as will be appreciated from the teachings herein.